411 Ranks Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania Matches (2 & 1)

Introduction: Welcome to the 2017 411 WrestleMania feature. This year’s countdown to WrestleMania will take a look back at the matches of the man they call Mr. WrestleMania, man that competed at the big show 17 times; the heartbreak kid, the showstopper, the Icon, Shawn Michaels. This year the 411 staff was presented with a list of Shawn Michaels’ WrestleMania matches, and were asked to rank them from best to worst. The rankings were then given a number value: #1 = 17 points, #2 = 16 points, and so on and so forth, all the way down to #17 = 1 point. The individual staff lists were then compiled into one master list. Today we begin looking at that master list, starting at #17. Each match will have a review by Robert Leighty Jr., a video of the match, and then two writers sharing their thoughts on the match, its place on the list and its place in HBK’s Mania history. Feel free to share your thoughts or even your personal rankings as the feature goes on to see how it lines up with ours.

Enjoy!

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Shawn is decked out in white again this year and that’s always a cool little touch as it contrasts Taker’s all black look. Taker rises from the depths of hell for his entrance, and it still angers me that I went to Mania 2 years in a row and no kick ass druids to be found. What’s up with that? Taker has a different look this year as he seems to have reverted back to his Ministry Days with the hood. Either that or he is channeling Michelle McCool (if you know what I mean?). Ever the cocky bastard Shawn mocks Taker with the throat slash jester and that only pisses the off the Dead Man. That seems to have gotten him off his game though as Shawn sticks and moves with chops. He gets too close though and gets whipped into the buckle where he flips out and gets dropped with Snake Eyes. As Shawn staggers Taker destroys him with a running boot and then follows with a splash in the corner. Damn, Taker is in a grumpy mood tonight. Taker hits Old School early, but jams his knee on the landing. That becomes important as Taker can’t get Shawn up for the chokeslam. That gives Shawn a target as he starts throwing kicks at the knee. Taker tries for the Tombstone, but again, Shawn goes right back to the knee. Taker is undaunted and gets another goozle, but again, Shawn goes right back to the knee. Taker misses a clothesline and Shawn looks to snap off Sweet Chin Music, but Taker backs off just in time to avoid. Shawn backs Taker into the corner and continues to pinpoint the knee in impressive fashion. Finally Taker gets pissed off enough that he just tosses Shawn into the corner and then takes him to the floor with a clothesline. That gives him a chance to hit Air Dead Man to the floor, but Shawn’s seen that before and he rushes back into the ring and delivers a shoulder block to the injured knee. Cool! They head back to the floor and that’s not where Shawn wants to be as he gets rammed back first into the ring post. Shawn gets prepped on the apron and Taker hits the leaping leg drop. That not only takes something out of Shawn, but it takes something out of Taker’s leg and he can’t follow up fast enough. That slight delay gives Shawn a chance to sucker Taker into a figure four. Again though Taker gets good and pissed off and reverses the pressure of the hold and that forces Shawn to break. They exchange center ring and Shawn’s chops can’t match Taker’s right hands, so Shawn makes sure to get in some shots to the injured leg. That coupled with the chops finally gets the advantage for Shawn and he ends up hitting flying forearm. Shawn kips up, but Taker is waiting and hits a nice chokeslam for two. Taker looks to finish with the Tombstone, but Shawn slides off and hooks the Ankle Lock. Taker struggles before Shawn drops him into the heel hook. Lawler doesn’t see any way Taker would tap to end the streak, and sure enough a well placed boot breaks the hold. Shawn sends Taker to the floor with a clothesline and hangs on to the apron. He springs off the middle ropes, but Taker catches him and hits a Tombstone on the floor. Damn! Cole reminds everyone that this match can’t end on a count-out. Somehow Shawn is still quivering as the trainer checks on him. Since he is still breathing Taker has no sympathy and fires Shawn back in the ring for a two count. Taker looks to hit the Last Ride, but Shawn grabs some hair on the way down causing Taker to eat canvas. It seems Taker took the worst of that as Shawn gets a near fall. Shawn heads up top for the flying elbow, but Taker raises his knees to block. That wasn’t the smartest thing for Taker’s bad knee and Shawn crawls over to finish, but he crawls right into Hell’s Gate. Shawn is able to counter rather quickly to a pinning combination for two. Both men fight to their feet and Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music for two out of nowhere. This time Shawn starts to tune up the band and that lets Taker know what’s coming and sure enough he blocks. He kills Shawn dead with a Last Ride, but apparently there is still life left as Shawn kicks out at two. Taker seems to be getting more pissed as the match goes on and he tosses Shawn’s corpse over the top and to the floor. Taker starts tearing apart the English Announce Table (Spanish guys are thanking God) and looks for another Last Ride. Shawn flips off and hits Sweet Chin Music that leaves Taker out on the announce table. Since this is WrestleMania and since this is Shawn Fucking Michaels he heads up top and crashes through Taker and the announce table with a moonsault. In what may be coincidence or just how awesome Shawn is, the move actually hit Taker flush on the bad knee. Shawn gets a rush of adrenaline before he collapses to the floor. Both men finally pull themselves from the wreckage and head back into the ring. Shawn doesn’t tune the band this time and just hits Sweet Chin Music for a tremendously hot near fall. Shaw is absolutely crushed with that decision, and the fans start a “This is Awesome” chant. I am proud to say I was part of that chant. Another attempt at Sweet Chin Music is blocked and Taker hits a big ass chokeslam on one leg. He doesn’t go for the pin and instead sticks Shawn with the Tombstone, but it only gets two, and now Taker’s world is crushed. Shawn is a pile of goo as Taker pulls down the straps. However he can’t finish the throat slashing gesture as he actually shows mercy towards Shawn and tells him to stay down. This is Shawn Michaels we are talking about though and he uses Taker to pull himself to his knees and then taunts him with the throat slash gesture. To drive the point home Shawn actually has the balls to slap Taker in the face. You know that gesture of mercy Taker showed few seconds ago? Yeah, that bitch just left the building after that slap. Taker goes crazy bastard evil as he hits a jumping tombstone to kill Shawn and his career dead at 23:55. After the match Taker celebrates being 18-0, but helps Shawn to his feet and offers a handshake. They embrace before Taker leaves Shawn to the ring and the fans. The crowd gives Shawn the ovation he deserves as tears run down his face. He says goodbye to the fans as the ovation grows louder, and it was one of the most emotional moments I’ve ever experienced at a wrestling event. No closing video package this year as the last image we see is Shawn exiting the entrance ramp.

– Robert Leighty Jr.

2. WrestleMania 26 – Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker – 249 points

Steve Cook: Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25 was great. No doubt about it. The pageantry of the entrances, the craziness of Undertaker nearly dying, the near-falls, everything was spectacular. I believe that their match at WrestleMania 26 was even better, and was the perfect ending to the story of the Heartbreak Kid.

It was Career vs. Streak. Back when WM was built around Undertaker’s streak and everybody was pretty ok with it. There was something even more important than that on the line, though. Unlike many people that put their careers on the line in a match, Michaels seemed believable when he said he’d go away. Everything felt more important because we believed it would be the last time we saw Shawn Michaels. Nobody thought Undertaker’s streak would end.

The execution was better in this match than it was in 25. That’s part of the appeal of 25 for a lot of people, the fact that Undertaker nearly killed himself on a dive and there were a couple of other close calls. That match was a lot more spotty. This match was about HBK working Undertaker’s knee & every move meaning something. The match from the previous year played into the story. Watching these two matches back to back for the purpose of this project, I felt 26 was the better story & the better executed match. Of course, it’s splitting hairs because both are among the greatest matches I’ve ever seen. But this is the Internet and we need to split hairs!

Robert S. Leighty Jr: We have come to the 2nd spot on our list and I have a unique perspective as I was there in Arizona for Mania XXVI (as well as there for Mania XXV). Some will have this match pegged at number 1 and I can totally buy that because the story and work in this match is outstanding. After their show stealing epic classic the previous year, this match had to deal with crazy expectations. It also had to handle closing the show (which in hindsight the Mania XXV match should have done) on what was a stellar card. The stipulation of Shawn putting his career on the line was the icing on the cake as something needed to be added to give this match more weight. The match delivered in spades and was an emotional ride from the moment Shawn stepped out to the moment he went back through the curtain. They had a tough task in matching what they did before and depending on who you ask they topped it or at worst came close to matching. The story of this match was amazing as Shawn was the cocky, show stealer as always and even in losing he had to go down in a blaze of glory. While not as remembered as him saying “I love you” before ending Ric’s career, Shawn slapping the piss out of Taker before having his career ended was a perfect character touch. The in ring work is what you would expect and Shawn went out there knowing this was it for him and damn near killed himself with the moonsault from the top through the table. Shawn having his career ended with The Super Spike Tombstone was the perfect way for him to go out as it needed to be something more than just a standard Tombstone. The importance of this match in Shawn’s career is pretty evident considering it was his final match. Some thought he would be back, but here we are 7 years later and even with teases he has yet to return. The fact this goes down in history as his last match has enough weight to put this in the top five. You throw in the greatness of the match, the story behind it, and how they nearly topped what they did the previous year (my view) then it clearly belongs Top 2 and I wouldn’t argue too hard against someone who said it is his best Mania match. I will note that the crowd reaction to this match wasn’t nearly what I witnessed the previous year, but I think part of that was due to the high expectations and the fact that it was kind of sad realizing this was likely Shawn’s last match. So while it was an honor to say I was there for Shawn’s last match, it also sucked that it was Shawn’s last match considering he could go out there and still deliver a classic. Selfishly we all wanted more, but isn’t that the perfect way for Shawn to go out….leaving us all wanting more.

Justin Watry: Despite Shawn Michaels’ career being on the line and getting the well deserved final slot of the show with The Undertaker, this match will forever be linked to the previous year and fall just short. I know it is unfair and doesn’t do this bout justice on its own, but that is the reality of the situation. Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker had amazing back to back WM battles, with the former being better than the latter.

Make no mistake though, HBK began his WM legacy as a young upstart with tag team potential, grew into a single’s star who added a little bit to a wrestling card and became Mr. WrestleMania ending his storied career against The Undertaker in the main event of a sold out stadium in Arizona. The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. You could not have asked for a better final chapter to a book than two veterans squaring off one more time in a long standing rivalry with everything at stake (Streak vs. Career) at the biggest event of the year.

What stuck out the most to me when re-watching this classic wasn’t the moves. Wasn’t the kickouts. Wasn’t the last entrance for HBK. Wasn’t even the idea of Taker possibly losing (that was not an option). Wasn’t the excellent video package used. Heck, it wasn’t even the desperate gasp for life in the closing moments when Shawn Michaels knew he was finished. As great as those scenes were, it was after match when the bell had rung, and there was HBK. There he was, getting props from the super respected Deadman, realizing the boyhood dream was officially over, and there would never be another Mr. WrestleMania. Shawn set out to prove his worth and did it in grand fashion spanning over 20 years with zero intentions in needlessly coming back to show off what we already know. He’s the best. Job well done kid.

Shawn descends from the heavens decked out in all white to angelic music, and Taker rises from Hell in his normal all black attire. Cool! Sadly, no druids with torches though. That kind of pissed me off being there live. We were seated on risers near the stage and were surrounded by a passionate group of women that we pro Shawn, and my ears took a beating during this match. Overall though, Taker had the edge as far as crowd support. This really showed have closed the show as this was the match the crowd was waiting to see. Dueling chants start early as Shawn fires off some chops. Michaels tries to stick and move, but get caught and powered back into the corner. He ends up on the middle rope and gives Taker a crotch chop before leaping over him. Shawn tries to fake a leg injury on the landing, but Taker’s not buying it. He tosses Shawn all over the ring and sends him bouncing into the corner. He lifts Shawn with a military press slam and sends him crashing to the mat. That gets a two count as Shawn gets out before Taker can get a leg hooked. Taker heads up for Old School and it connects to a loud pop. He charges at Shawn in the corner, but Michaels moves. Taker got caught up in the ropes and appears to have injured a leg. Shawn smells blood and attacks the knee. It appears he wants a sharpshooter, but instead he opts for a figure four. JR and Lawler mention that Taker has lost every previous match with Shawn. Taker breaks the hold, so Shawn dropkicks the knee. Sweet! Taker starts punching his knee to get some feeling, and steamrolls Shawn in the corner. Snake eyes and a big boot follow as Taker starts signaling for the end. He looks for the chokeslam, but Shawn turns that into a crossface. He can’t break the hold, but is able to roll Shawn into a pin attempt a few times. Taker battles to his feet and breaks the hold with a sidewalk slam that gets a two count. Taker no sells a boot to the chest, but misses a clothesline and Shawn hits the flying forearm. He kips up and drops Taker with an inverted atomic drop. He follows that with some chops and then another inverted atomic drop. Shawn heads up top and looks for the elbow, but Taker sits up and pulls Shawn down with a goozle. Shawn escapes and looks for Sweet Chin Music, but Taker drops to the mat. Shawn stays a step ahead and looks for the figure four again, but Taker counters to Hell’s Gate. A desperate Shawn gets to the ropes before the hold can be applied. Nice sequence there. The action heads to the floor and Taker stalks Michaels around the ring. He preps Shawn on the apron and goes for the leg drop, but nobody’s home. A baseball slide sends Taker away from the ringside and Shawn heads up top. He attempts a moonsault to the floor, but Taker just casually walks away as Shawn hits with a sickening thud. Damn! The ref checks on Shawn and Taker sets up in the ring. He tries for the Flying Dead Man, but Shawn pulls the cameraman in the way and Taker ends up landing head first on the floor. Damn, that shit was nasty. I like the call back to the 1st Hell in a Cell Match with the cameraman getting abused. The replays only confirm that Taker is lucky he didn’t break his neck. Shawn pulls himself back into the ring and realizes the ref is down on the floor. He drags the ref back into the ring and pleads with him to start the ten count. Such a simple little spot, but the crowd loved every second of it and Shawn sold it perfectly. The anguish on his face was awesome as Taker made it back into the ring at 9. Shawn regroups and preps for Sweet Chin Music. Taker swats the foot away and hits a massive chokeslam for a hot near fall. Taker looks for the Tombstone, but Shawn slides off and tries for Sweet Chin Music again. This time Taker catches the foot and looks for another chokeslam. Shawn pushes off and finally hits Sweet Chin Music. He crawls for the pin, but Taker is out at two. Both men are down, but Shawn gets to his feet first and looks for the kill. Taker catches him with another goozle, and looks for the Last Ride. Shawn counters to a sunset flip, but Taker counters that and ends up getting quite possibly the greatest Last Ride I’ve ever seen from him. Somehow Shawn is out at two and the crowd is getting rabid at this point. Taker seems desperate now as he heads up top and tries to hit Shawn’s flying elbow. That doesn’t work out well though as Shawn rolls out of the way. Shawn charges and gets sent over the top rope, but he skins the cat. Sadly for him, Taker turns that into a Tombstone, and that looks to be all, but Shawn kicks out at two. Holy Hell! Everyone had that pegged as the finish and when Shawn kicked out I saw some poor guy spill a tray of beers because he couldn’t believe what he saw. Good times! Taker goes right back to the Tombstone, but Shawn floats around and hits an ugly looking DDT. Shawn crawls to the corner and pulls himself to the top rope. He looks unbalance and basically falls off with the flying elbow. He crawls to the ropes again and uses them to pull himself to his feet. He tunes up the band again, and a sick looking Sweet Chin Music follows. Now Taker kicks out and Shawn’s world is just crushed. The crowd starts and this is awesome chant, and I’m proud to say I took part in that chant. Both men start exchanging blows in the center of the ring, and the crowd cheers and Woos depending on who is landing the blow. Taker’s tired of this shit and just casually boots Shawn in the head. Bad ass! Shawn gets whipped into the corner, but a charge misses. Shawn heads back up top and tries a moonsault, but Taker catches him in perfect position for the Tombstone and we have 17-0 at 30:41.

– Robert Leighty Jr.

1. WrestleMania 25 – Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker – 263 points

Robert S. Leighty Jr: As I mentioned when discussing match 2 on this list, I was there in Houston for this match. Mania XXV holds a special place in my heart as it was the first Mania I attended which completed a like long dream. The fact I got to witness the greatness of this match only made it that much more special. Going in everyone thought this two would deliver, but we didn’t know for sure and that is why this match didn’t have to carry the weight of expectations like Mania XXVI did. I was in the risers on the floor for this epic and it is still the craziest crowd I have ever seen for a match. The crowd was split pretty evenly which was to expected with 2 legends from Texas battling in Houston. The entrances were perfect to play off the light vs. dark story heading into the match. When the bell rang what we got to see was what I can only describe as other worldly. The match features quite possibly the greatest near fall in history where Shawn kicked out of the Tombstone after skinning the cat. JR’s call was perfect as he called it an out of body experience and that is what it felt like for the entire match for me inside the stadium that night. Shawn even wanting to win by count-out was a great touch as he was desperate to end the streak even if it was a cheap way like that and it did draw some big boos from the crowd. In the end Taker won and it was then that it hit me that I had seen something truly special. As I looked around the stadium I remember seeing grown men hugging each other as the match ended. People was just euphoric over what they had seen that I high five just wasn’t enough for some. While the next year people were on edge due to thinking Shawn’s career was going to end, this match had us fans going crazy with each near fall with no thought being given to the idea that one of the performers were about to have their career ended. This match doesn’t carry the historical importance of Mania XXVI if only because that was Shawn’s final match, but this one has been pegged by the WWE and others as the match that rivals Savage/Steamboat from Mania III as The Greatest Mania match. As for the purpose of this countdown this match deserves the top spot and that takes nothing away from the Mania XXVI rematch and Angle/Shawn, which I would put in my top 3. Again some may pick either of those matches or the Razor ladder match, but seeing two iconic legends at the tail end of their career go out there and steal the show while bringing out such an emotional response from the fans is something that can’t be topped, and I doubt I will ever see it in my lifetime.

Paul Leazar: This match will stick with me long past a time when I’ve forgotten nearly everything else that happened in my life. I sat in that arena in Houston, Texas amongst a mass of seventy thousand plus people at the edge of my seat from the moment HBK came down from the heavens bathed in a white light. This match, however, as far less about good and evil. This match was about legacy, about two guys who wrestled each more than a handful occasions (and some of them maybe equally as famous as this match), but none of them were ever as great. Lightning struck that ring, and despite both these guys reaching the twilight of their careers, neither of them was willing to let that slow them down. Nay, The Undertaker seemed to take it as a challenge, and decided to damn near kill himself with a suicide dive worthy of the name. The match went on, both men looking to outdo the other at every turn. Finishing move after finishing move, and still, neither could put the other down. Meanwhile, myself and my friends and a whole host of people were screaming their heads off. Honestly, this might have been the loudest I’ve ever been at a wrestling show. I struggled to breath after the final bell rang, and The Undertaker had his hand raised. In short, this is the greatest match I have ever witnessed with my own eyes. People talked for a long time about whether their follow up match, and the second match on this list, was better. I wholly disagree. Their match the following year was tremendous, no doubt about it. However, it felt like they were chasing ghosts. What more could they have done to top their effort here, a match that was virtually perfect in every way. To speak to Shawn’s performance, it was otherworldly, and even that doesn’t begin to cover it. By a wide margin, this was Shawn Michael’s best performance on the big stage, and a match that’s worth putting near the top of “Best Wrestling Matches of All Time”.

Tony Acero: The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels I, as some may call it, is nearly ten years old, and after another viewing, it is seemingly as strong as ever. In 2011, I wrote an extensive column that reviewed every Undertaker match up until WrestleMania 26. For this match in particular, I had this to write:

HBK isn’t deemed Mr. WrestleMania for no reason, and The Undertaker more than held his own. This would be the longest match of The Undertaker’s illustrious streak and yet I could watch 20 more minutes, easily. A fast start continued until HBK used his wily style in faking a knee injury and gained the upper hand. Both men showed why they were possibly the last two legends in the business and that they deserved that title. For me, it was emotional in the essence that HBK had a chance. He had a chance to end it. The crowd that chanted “This is Awesome” only mirrored the patron’s of bar in which I was sitting in.

Of course, the sentiment of someone possibly besting The Undertaker at Mania has lost quite a bit of its luster, but we can’t forget the feeling of that moment around this time. The idea that Michaels could actually – possibly – end the match with a win was a resonating factor throughout the whole match, and these two legends had us in the palm of their hands. If we folded the list of Shawn Michaels matches in half, this would be at the tail end of the second, yet the top of the list of best, and if there is one battle that you’ll see on this list, it will be whether this is Number one or Number Two on the list.

Justin Watry: When this topic was first mentioned by the boss man months ago, I knew what the number one choice would be. I’m sure all of you knew what it would be when the count down began as well. We knew. That doesn’t make it any less fitting or undeserving. Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle at WrestleMania 21 in 2005 used to be my favorite match of all-time. Used to be. That changed four years later when ol’ HBK topped himself and FINALLY battled The Undertaker on the grand stage. After being teased with the confrontation for over two years, WWE pulled the trigger on the showdown in Texas. The wait was worth it.

From the build to the officially announcement to the entrances to the crowd response to the moves to the kick outs to the spectacular action to the false finishes to the memorable dive over the top rope to the commentators making the bout as epic as possible all the way to the amazing Tombstone kickout…and eventual ending. It is the greatest match of all-time. If Taker and Shawn both walked backstage afterwards, shook hands, and agreed to never lace up their boots again, I’d understand it and be satisfied. Nothing was going to best that thrill ride we got back in April 2009.

However, don’t take my word for it. Here is a story I once wrote about it summer 2009: “Not too long ago, I had a lady friend over and instead of watching a horror movie like usual, she asked me to watch one of my “wrestling matches.” I was stunned by the request, but I happily obliged.

After five seconds of thinking, I picked this match to watch. Needless to say, she had never seen WWE before but was instantly hooked. By the end of the match, she was yelling “The streak can’t end! NO!!!”

That says it all…”

The FINAL LIST
#17. WrestleMania 8 – Shawn Michaels vs. Tito Santana – 40 points
#16. WrestleMania 5 – The Rockers vs. The Twin Towers – 43 points
#15. WrestleMania 7 – The Rockers vs. Haku & Barbarian – 52 points
#14. WrestleMania 6 – The Rockers vs. Orient Express – 55 points
#13. WrestleMania 9 – Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka – 63 points
#12. WrestleMania 11 – Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel – 91 points
#11. WrestleMania 22 – Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. McMahon – 100 points
#10. WrestleMania 23 – Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena – 138 points
#9. WrestleMania 14 – Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold – 151 points
#8. WrestleMania 24 – Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair – 193 points
#7. WrestleMania 12 – Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart – 195 points
#6. WrestleMania 19 – Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho – 196 points
#5. WrestleMania 20 – Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H vs. Chris Benoit – 206 points
#4. WrestleMania 21 – Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle – 212 points
#3. WrestleMania 10 – Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon – 233 points
#2. WrestleMania 26 – Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker – 249 points
#1. WrestleMania 25 – Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker – 263 points